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Published on: August 8, 2019
Coding of the reach vector in parietal area 5d
Lindsay R Bremner1, Richard A Andersen
1Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA. lindsay@vis.caltech.edu
Neuron
|July 31, 2012
Summary
Different brain regions use distinct reference frames for sensorimotor computation. Area 5 predominantly uses hand-centered frames, supporting specialized neural representations in the brain’s sensorimotor circuit.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Computational Neuroscience
- Motor Control
Background:
- Competing models of sensorimotor computation propose varying topological constraints in neural processing.
- Some models suggest dedicated neural subpopulations for specific reference frames, while others propose simultaneous coding in intermediate frames.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the reference frames used for sensorimotor computation in the dorsal aspect of parietal area 5.
- To differentiate between competing models of neural representation in the sensorimotor circuit.
Main Methods:
- Independently manipulated hand, gaze, and target locations across numerous positions.
- Recorded neural activity from the dorsal aspect of parietal area 5.
Main Results:
- The target was predominantly represented in a hand-centered reference frame within parietal area 5.
- This contrasts with dorsal premotor cortex (relative code) and parietal reach region (gaze-centered reference frame).
Conclusions:
- Findings support the hypothesis of distinct and systematic neural representations across different sensorimotor circuit nodes.
- These distinct representations constrain the types of computational models that are neurobiologically plausible.
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